Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition

Perhaps once a decade, a book comes along that transforms people's lives in a very real, measurable way. This is one of them. Crucial Conversations exploded onto the scene 10 years ago and revolutionized the way people communicate when stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong. Since then, millions of people have learned how to hold effective crucial conversations and have dramatically improved their lives and careers thanks to the methods outlined in this book. Now, the authors have revised their best-selling classic to provide even more ways to help you take the lead in any tough conversation.

Hold anyone accountable. Master performance discussions. Get results. Broken promises, missed deadlines, poor behavior--they don't just make others' lives miserable; they can sap up to 50 percent of organizational performance and account for the vast majority of divorces. Crucial Accountability offers the tools for improving relationships in the workplace and in life and for resolving all these problems--permanently.

Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change

Whether you're a CEO, a parent, or merely a person who wants to make a difference, you probably wish you had more influence with the people in your life. But most of us stop trying to make change happen because we believe it is too difficult, if not impossible. We learn to cope rather than learning to influence. Influencer is a thought-provoking audiobook that combines the remarkable insights of behavioral scientists and business leaders with the astonishing stories of high-powered influencers from all walks of life.

Leading at a Higher Level

In Leading at a Higher Level, Blanchard and his colleagues have brought together everything they've learned about world-class leadership. You'll discover how to create targets and visions based on the "triple bottom line", and how to make sure people know who you are, where you're going, and what will guide your journey. Blanchard then turns to your customer, extending his breakthrough work on delivering legendary service, creating "raving fans", and developing a true "customer mania".

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

In keeping with the parable style, Patrick Lencioni begins by telling the fable of a woman who, as CEO of a struggling Silicon Valley firm, took control of a dysfunctional executive committee and helped its members succeed as a team. Story time over, Lencioni offers explicit instructions for overcoming the human behavioral tendencies that he says corrupt teams. Succinct yet sympathetic, this guide will be a boon for those struggling with the inherent difficulties of leading a group.

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

Getting to Yes is a straightorward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting taken - and without getting angry. It offers a concise, step-by-step, proven strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict - whether it involves parents and children, neighbors, bosses and employees, customers or corporations, tenants or diplomats.

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their successes over and over? People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why.

The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything

For business leaders and public figures in any arena, The Speed of Trust offers an unprecedented and eminently practical look at exactly how trust functions in our every transaction and relationship - from the most personal to the broadest, most indirect interaction - and how to establish trust immediately so that you and your organization can forego the time - killing, bureaucratic check - and - balance processes so often deployed in lieu of actual trust.

The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues: A Leadership Fable

In The Ideal Team Player, Lencioni tells the story of Jeff Shanley, a leader desperate to save his uncle's company by restoring its cultural commitment to teamwork. Jeff must crack the code on the virtues that real team players possess and then build a culture of hiring and development around those virtues. Beyond the fable, Lencioni presents a practical framework and actionable tools for identifying, hiring, and developing ideal team players.

The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business

This is the promise of The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni’s bold manifesto about the most unexploited opportunity in modern business. In his immensely readable and accessible style, Lencioni makes the case that there is no better way to achieve profound improvement in an organization than by attacking the root causes of dysfunction, politics, and confusion.

Leading Change

John Kotter, the world's foremost expert on business leadership, distills 25 years of experience into Leading Change. A must-have for any organization, this visionary and very personal audiobook is at once inspiring, clear-headed, and filled with important implications for the future. Kotter identifies an eight-step process that every company must go through to achieve its goal, and shows where and how people—good people—often derail.

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

In Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact. Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples' potential. He unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how - by saying less and asking more - you can develop coaching methods that produce great results.

Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Knowing what emotional intelligence is and knowing how to use it to improve your life are two very different things. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is a step-by-step program for increasing your emotional intelligence using the four core EQ skills—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management—to exceed your goals and achieve your fullest potential.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

For decades we've been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F*ck positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let's be honest, shit is f*cked, and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn't sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is - a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is his antidote to the coddling, let's-all-feel-good mind-set that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.

The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over

The Like Switch is packed with all the tools you need for turning strangers into friends, whether you are on a sales call, a first date, or a job interview. As a Special Agent for the FBI's National Security Division's Behavioral Analysis Program, Dr. Jack Schafer developed dynamic and breakthrough strategies for profiling terrorists and detecting deception. Now, Dr. Schafer has evolved his proven-on-the-battlefield tactics for the day-to-day, but no less critical battle of getting people to like you.

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

Why do only a few people get to say "I love my job?" It seems unfair that finding fulfillment at work is like winning a lottery; that only a few lucky ones get to feel valued by their organizations, to feel like they belong. Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders are creating environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has been a top seller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology for proven principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity. Celebrating its 15th year of helping people solve personal and professional problems, this special anniversary edition includes a new foreword and afterword written by Covey that explore whether the 7 Habits are still relevant and answer some of the most common questions he has received over the past 15 years.

Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well

Coauthors of the international best-seller Difficult Conversations, Stone and Heen have spent the last 10 years working with businesses, nonprofits, governments, and families to determine what helps us learn and what gets in our way. With humor and clarity, they blend the latest insights from neuroscience and psychology with practical, hard-headed advice. This audiobook is destined to become a classic in the world of leadership, organizational behavior, and education.

Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

For generations, we have focused on the individual drivers of success: passion, hard work, talent, and luck. But today, success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others. It turns out that at work, most people operate as either takers, matchers, or givers. Whereas takers strive to get as much as possible from others and matchers aim to trade evenly, givers are the rare breed of people who contribute to others without expecting anything in return.

The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle

Internationally best-selling author of Last of the Amazons, Gates of Fire and Tides of War, Steven Pressfield delivers a guide to inspire and support those who struggle to express their creativity. Pressfield believes that “resistance” is the greatest enemy, and he offers many unique and helpful ways to overcome it.

The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage

How to enrich your life and destroy doubt in five seconds. Throughout your life, you've had parents, coaches, teachers, friends, and mentors who have pushed you to be better than your excuses and bigger than your fears. What if the secret to having the confidence and courage to enrich your life and work is simply knowing how to push yourself?

33 Strategies of War

33 Strategies of War is a comprehensive guide to the subtle social game of everyday life, informed by the most ingenious and effective military principles in war. It's the I-Ching of conflict, the contemporary companion to Sun Tzu's The Art of War, and is abundantly illustrated with examples from history, including the folly and genius of everyone from Napoleon to Margaret Thatcher, Hannibal to Ulysses S. Grant, movie moguls to samurai swordsmen.

Publisher's Summary

"Crucial" conversations are interpersonal exchanges at work or at home that we dread having but know we cannot avoid. How do you say what needs to be said while avoiding an argument with a boss, child, or relationship partner? Crucial Conversations offers readers a proven seven-point strategy for achieving their goals in all those emotionally, psychologically, or legally charged situations that can arise in their professional and personal lives.

Based on the authors' highly popular DialogueSmart training seminars, the techniques are geared toward getting people to lower their defenses, creating mutual respect and understanding, increasing emotional safety, and encouraging freedom of expression. Among other things, rlisteners also learn about the four main factors that characterize crucial conversations, and they get a powerful six-minute mastery technique that prepares them to work through any high impact situation with confidence.

What the Critics Say

"The program does a stellar job of explaining many types of communication errors and describing the best ways to achieve mutual purpose....Anna Fields gives a perfect reading - emotionally bright but still allowing the lesson to retain its practical, straight-talking nature." (AudioFile)

Crucial Conversations offers excellent analyses and real tools for improving the most difficult relationships in your professional and personal life. Beware: the emphasis is on YOU, so don’t buy this hoping to find a way to change your boss, your spouse, or that back-stabbing SOB down the hall. Do buy it to find ways to get past that “fight or flight” reaction in yourself and almost anyone else so you can really talk. (Also read Martha Stout’s “The Sociopath Next Door” to understand why no communication or relationship strategy can possibly work with some people.)

I really enjoy this book thoroughly. It's straight forward and explains things well. The examples and explanations are easily understandable and relate to real life. There are plenty of clever labels that make remembering important information easy. I enjoyed the explanations of labels such as: "Dope-up Dumbed-Down state". This label explains why critical conversations are difficult from a biological standpoint. Crucial conversations are defined as interactions with others (at home, work, or elsewhere) that have moderate to high stakes, opinions vary and emotions run high. The poor habits seem to reflect poor habits I have myself. The examples seem reasonable to real life and they are written in witty ways. The narration is (nearly) perfect as the description indicates. The narrator reads with accurate expression. I often found myself relating to the situations that are in the book. I'm a "Mute & Salute" kind of person (or "silent fumer"). I have been avoiding or poorly handling crucial conversations in my own life because I have felt ill-equipped to do it well. It undermined my influence. I've reread the forward & first chapter 3 times now. I have struggled with a lot of the things that are listed in the book. I look forward to applying these principles to my own conversations. I liked it so much, I ended up buying it as a gift for a friend of mine who I know would enjoy these topics and tools. I also look forward to listening to "Crucial Confrontations" by the same authors. I think this book should be considered by all.

We are taught the technical skills of our professions. But often we are not taught the most important one... How to communicate with one another. This audiobook has transformed the way that I interact with everyone. I find that during the course of one day I have at least one conversation that is crucial. Before reading this book I would fumble my way through the discussion leaving myself and the person I talked to feeling stressed. I am much more effective in my personal and professional communications.

This book has helped me not only in my personally but also professionally. I used these techniques in all situations whether at home with my spouse or at work during a preformance review. It has helped me move further in my career by learning how to express myself in all types of situations with all types of people. Outstanding!

This is one of the best books I've ever read on the topic of interacting with others. The book really causes me to stop and think about what I'm saying, but more importantly WHY I'm saying it - what story have I made up in my mind about the person I'm giving my message to? Is it an accurate story? Have I thought about our pending conversation and found the common ground on which to build that discussion? When I've practiced what I've learned in this book, my crucial conversations go well. As an example, I had been years in conflict with someone in my organization that I felt was only interested in showing he was "alpha male". I started applying what I learned in this book. Over time (and not that much time, actually), the relationship I had with this individual changed dramatically. We now interact with each other based on mutual respect, common goals, and true collaboration. This should be on every leader's "must read" list.

I wish I had heard this before my last 5 relationships!!!! I found this informative on more levels than the obvious. I would recommend this to all of my ex-boyfriends and my ex-husband if they'd only listen!!

Where does Crucial Conversations rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Excellent - I own 100 + audio books - I recommend this book.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to this book multiple times and so I recommend it (as opposed to the audio books I could not listen to or "wade through" even one time, or the books I did listen one complete time, however, have no intention to ever listen to again)As far as subject matter, I'm interested in benefits from talking about and addressing issues at work and in our personal lives (rather than silence and avoidance) and this book is an excellent resource - as is the book Crucial Confrontations by the same author.

i had a problem with a customer, who was very mad at me. listening to the book over the weekend while driving in Cairo crazy traffic, i took three tips that helped me big time and the problem was solved. it makes sense ..

Crucial Conversations presumes you are engaged in a difficult conversation with a peer (spouse) or a subordinate at work. Unfortunately, many difficult conversations occur where someone in a position of power presents their argument as "silence or violence" such as your manager or a large firm with which you are engaged in negotations.

Crucial Conversations offers little to no advice on how to revert an aggresive individual to a productive manner of speaking. "Getting to Yes" is a a book that discusses negotiating from somewhere other than a position of power.

Only after you have read that book would I recommend topping up your communication skills with this book.

I frequently recommend this book to my friends and colleagues because I've used it myself to change how I deal with people in difficult conversations. It has a well thought framework for dealign with difficult conversations, lots of stories to make the framework concrete, and many useful little tips and hints you can start using straight away.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

ganiyu

manchester, United Kingdom

11/3/12

Overall

"Better to get the written book instead."

Too many parts missing from the audio book. Better to get the written book instead.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

ICREDIT.LV

Riga, Latvia

8/21/11

Overall

"Does not comply with written version"

There are 2 things to mention:
1) audio version does not comply with the written version - a lot of content is missed;
2) running time is not 4 hours as stated, it's 2 hours and 52 minutes.

The content itself, of course, is great - I'd give five stars if nothing was missed.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

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